


(Not) Human

by adadshi



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Body Horror, Established Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Galaxy Garrison, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Pre-Canon, Pre-Kerberos Mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25486408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adadshi/pseuds/adadshi
Summary: Adam has noticed some abnormalities in Shiro's new brother: fangs, claws and strength that should be impossible for a teenager to possess. But it's fine, Keith's just a little weird... right?
Relationships: Adam & Keith (Voltron), Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 152





	(Not) Human

**Author's Note:**

> some more specific warnings: mentions of human experimentation, mentions of alcohol, accidental body burns, food/eating. let me know if there's anything else in the fic that I should include in the warning!
> 
> twitter: @adadshi

There was always something odd about Keith Kogane. Adam noticed it from the first moment he met the boy. He was jumpy, reacting to even the smallest of sounds, and wrestled Shiro with strength that unmatched his tiny figure. 

“Time, time!” Shiro called out. He sat up on the carpet and used his hands to make a ’T’ symbol. Sweat shone on his forehead. Adam had never seen anyone exhaust Shiro like that, much less a fifteen-year-old cadet.

The cadet in question had his head lowered, dark hair covering his eyes. He was panting. Shiro helped him back onto his feet and clapped him on the back.

“That was great! I’m gonna be covered in bruises.” Shiro laughed. He directed Keith into the kitchen. Adam watched from behind the kitchen island as Keith’s eyes widened and he looked up at Shiro in panic.

“I bruised you?”

“Oh, no, I’m just playing around.” Shiro was always quick to put other’s worries at ease, “Go wash your hands. You know where the bathroom is, right?” 

Adam kept an eye on Keith throughout dinner. The three of them spoke about the upcoming Kerberos mission and how Keith was enjoying being at the Garrison so far.

“I don’t like my dorm.” He said as he shovelled another spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. Adam pushed the bowl towards him without breaking eye contact. For such a small boy, he sure had some appetite. And, my- he had some teeth. Big gleaming molars, much like that of a wolf. He shot a quick look at Shiro, who was quite happily listening to Keith complain about his roommate. Had he not noticed these things too?

“Well, you’d be welcome to stay here whenever your roommate gets too much. Isn’t that right, Adam?” Shiro smiled at him. Adam’s nodded but he didn’t smile. Yes, Keith would be welcome. But an eye would need to be kept on him at all times. 

“I’m glad to finally make good use of that spare room.” He said cautiously. Keith blinked at him.

When Keith had left (with a tub of leftovers, Adam insisted), Shiro poured them two glasses of white wine and they sat down on the couch together.

“Well? What do you think of him?”

“Keith? He’s… very interesting. A bit odd, if I’m being honest.” 

Shiro frowned at that. “Odd? In what way?”

Adam got Shiro up to speed, pointing out what he believed to be obvious. How could he not see how strange Keith was? By the end of the discussion, Shiro had a deep frown.

“Adam, he’s an orphan. His dad died in front of him. He’s bound to be a little messed up from that.” He sounded disappointed. Adam nodded and took a sip of his wine. He wasn’t in any mood to argue tonight. 

Keith became a regular visitor to their apartment. He spent his Friday afternoons and weekend there before heading back to his dorm on Monday morning before classes. The spare room was quickly transformed into a bedroom for him. The rules set for Keith were followed surprisingly well and it pleased Adam to no end. 

As a reward, four weeks into their arrangement, Adam surprised Keith and Shiro with a brand new camping tent. They were avid explorers, Keith loved showing him around the desert where he grew up.

“Go spend the weekend camping in the desert.” Adam said, “Go on, enjoy yourselves. I’ll do your chores, Keith.” 

Adam enjoyed that weekend. As much as he loved Shiro and… tolerated Keith, he treasured the time he had to himself. He hand-wrote sixty invites to their wedding, shone all of their shoes and completed his spring cleaning. Or, he almost completed it. He stood on the outside of Keith’s room with his mop and bucket in one hand, the vacuum cleaner tube in the other, and his cloth and disinfectant tucked underneath his arm. 

This was his apartment, he was allowed to clean wherever he pleased, but he hesitated to touch Keith’s room. Teenagers were sensitive about privacy. He cringed at the thought of coming across a dirty magazine or clothes that hadn’t been washed in weeks. But the thought of unclean clothes in there irritated him. He would not have that in his home. 

Adam decided he would do a quick sweep of the room. Hoover and mop the floor, dust the shelves and change the bed. If there was any clutter, he would sort it. But he wouldn’t look at anything for long enough to take it in. Keith was entitled to his privacy and Adam was entitled to a clean home. 

Keith’s room wasn’t too messy, much to Adam’s relief. The few stray socks he found were tossed into an empty plastic bin- a temporary hamper until Adam could make a trip into town for a proper one. He lined up the books on the desk and resisted the urge to organise them alphabetically. All surfaces were dusted and polished, the floor was vacuumed and mopped, leaving just the bed to be changed. 

He changed the bed, chucking the old sheets out into the hallway, and made a startling discovery. The blankets were covered in hair. Small, short strands that were such a dark purple he thought they were black until he held one up to the light. Adam was baffled. Had Keith dyed his hair purple without him noticing? It was no ordinary amount of hair loss, either. It reminded Adam of how his childhood pet cats would shed their winter coats during the spring. _Keith was shedding?_

The strange hair was vacuumed up and the bed was changed. Adam tried not to think about it for the rest of his weekend. When Shiro and Keith came home, he didn’t bring up the bizarre event to either of them. 

Adam noticed another strange part of Keith when Shiro had his spell of sickness since the boy joined their little family. 

During the night he’d had a fit and was whisked away to the Garrison’s hospital ward. Adam was used to these sudden trips and always had an overnight bag packed for the two of them. He knew to call Shiro’s parents and reassure them it was nothing too serious. But he was unsure about what to do with Keith. It was a weekday so he was fast asleep in his dorm. Before Adam could make a decision, he was bombarded with doctors and nurses. 

The next morning Shiro was stable. He slept for most of the day, chest gently rising and falling, hair flat against his forehead. His skin looked waxy but Adam still kissed him when he was asked to. 

“Where’s Keith?” He mumbled. 

“You want him here?” 

Shiro nodded so Adam pressed the bell to call for a nurse. He explained the situation and she told them she’d make an announcement through the intercom. Shiro bolted up in bed at that.

“No! No intercom, he’ll think he’s in trouble.” Adam pushed his chest softly until he was lying down again. He ran a hand through his sweaty hair.

“I can go collect him from class, no need to panic.” The nervousness in Shiro’s eyes dissipated and he quickly fell back asleep. 

The nurse promised to keep an eye on Shiro while Adam fetched Keith. At this point, he was familiar enough with Keith’s schedule to know he would be in his last class of the day- Biology with Mr Pollard.

“Hi,” Adam said as he entered Mr Pollard’s lab. The man was sitting at his desk, hunched over a pile of paperwork. “Could I take Keith Kogane out of class for the last half hour. It’s an emergency.” 

“An emergency?” The teacher grumbled, “Someone had better be dying- cadet Kogane’s already failing my class.”

“Takashi Shirogane’s in hospital.”

Mr Pollard’s face paled. “Ah, I see. I suppose- well, just this once I will allow him to leave.”

Keith was sitting at the back of the class. His eyes were wide and back straight as a ruler. Adam helped him pack his things up and briskly escorted him out of the classroom.

“What’s wrong with Shiro? Was there an accident? Is it his illness?” Keith knew about Shiro’s illness, he was sat down and told when he started to stay with them at the weekends. He took it remarkably well, even when he made the connection that it was terminal. But Adam can’t say that he didn’t hear him crying in his bedroom afterwards. 

“He had a fit last night. He’s alright, don’t worry. Just tired. I think he would appreciate your company.” 

“I haven’t been to a hospital since my dad died,” Keith said. Adam stopped walking and put a careful hand on his shoulder. 

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I can explain it to Takashi, he’ll understand.”

“No, I’ll be okay. I’ll just keep my head down.” 

Keith linked his arm with Adam’s and let him lead the way to the hospital. Adam smiled. He was a brave kid, putting his friend’s comfort over his fear. 

Shiro was still asleep when they arrived at his side. Keith spent some time looking at the cannula in his hand before asking the nurse if he could lie down with him. The nurse gave him the go-ahead and quietly left the room, leaving the three of them alone. 

Keith took off his boots, then his blazer and laid down next to Shiro. He buried his head into his chest and what he did next was incredible.

He purred.

Adam watched in wonder. How was Keith doing that? He loud purring drowned out the beeping of the heart monitor and planes whizzing by outside, it was like they were in their own little world of comfort. Shiro smiled in his sleep and curled up around Keith, hugging him close to his chest. Adam sat down on a chair at the side of the bed and rested his head on the pillow next to Shiro’s head. He shut his eyes and was lulled to sleep by Keith’s soft purring. 

Adam felt a new sense of fondness for Keith after that. With the Kerberos mission launch quickly approaching, he let Keith move in with them full-time so he could spend as much time with Shiro as possible. 

Keith settled in well. Adam loved the playful attitude he brought out in Shiro. The two of them were like brothers. When Shiro was scolded, Keith would pull faces until Shiro couldn’t hold his laughter back any longer. Adam pretended it annoyed him but he was thankful for anything that made Shiro happy. Sometimes his medication made him bad-tempered but one look at Keith made him grin from ear to ear.

Adam could see that this arrangement was beneficial to Keith too. Whenever he found his homework confusing, he had the choice of two space experts to help him. He was taught to cook, clean and study. When the summer break began, the three of them took a trip out to the desert to camp and Adam was amazed by the boy’s navigational skills.

“This big rock here is called Earth’s Peak,” Keith explained, “and if you look down that there’s a geoglyph.” 

“There’s great energy out here,” Shiro said. 

“Yeah, there always has been.”

“You boys have been out in the sun too long- I feel nothing.”

That was a good night they had. They laid out on the sand and pointed out constellations and planets.

“That’s the Keith star.” Shiro pointed up at the sky to one stray star close to the Orion constellation. 

“I didn’t learn about a Keith star in astrology class,” Keith said. Adam smiled and put an arm around his shoulder.

“It’s called the Keith star because it’s little but shines so brightly.” 

There was silence and then Keith was tackling Shiro into a hug. Sand flew up as they crashed down. “I’m gonna miss you so much.” 

The days flew by until they were standing on the runway at the Kerberos mission launch. Adam kissed Shiro and whispered, “Please stay safe.” Shiro flashed him that bright million-dollar smile. He hugged Keith (though it was awkwardly done in his clunky space suit) and whispered something in his ear before jogging up to the ship. 

As the ship launched into the bright blue sky, Adam held Keith. Tears welled in Adam’s eyes- but they weren’t from the sombre goodbye. There were claws digging into his side. Sharp cat-like claws. He looked down at Keith and realised _this boy couldn’t be human_.

Keith turned into a grouchy monster when Shiro left. He abandoned his chores and regular studying. Instead of spending time with Adam, he preferred to hide in his dark room or curl up on the couch, all of his attention directed towards the TV. 

His appetite increased tenfold. Adam decided to carry out an experiment- how much would Keith eat before feeling full? First, he started with a regular portion and each day he doubled it. He stopped the experiment after five days, not because he got a conclusive answer, but because preparing so much food was becoming expensive. 

Adam wondered what to do with the boy. Despite Shiro claiming his odd habits were from trauma, trauma didn’t cause fangs and claws. He asked Keith if he’d ever seen a doctor or a dentist. Instead of replying, he gave him an insulted look and stormed off to his room. Scared of what he could find, Adam didn’t go in there anymore.

_Am I scared?_ Adam didn’t quite know. Keith was a child, he was Shiro’s little star, but what was he capable of? The Kerberos mission launched five weeks ago and Adam still had puncture holes in his side. Did Keith ever hurt Shiro when they wrestled? He remembered when they first met- after Keith and Shiro finished sparring, Shiro made a joke about being bruised. Keith’s panic from that joke meant he must have known what he was capable of. It had happened before.

Or maybe he just didn’t get the joke.

Adam started to sleep less. He sat up in bed at night and thought about what to do. Was he in danger? Maybe, but not _mortal_ danger. Was he? He started to hyperventilate. What would Shiro do? What would Shiro do? He would… Adam didn’t know what Shiro would do. His love for his brother blinded him to his bizarre habits and biology. 

What about the Garrison doctors… would they be able to explain Keith’s abnormalities?

He heard a loud yelp coming from the kitchen. Adam froze and held his breath. Was that Keith? What was he doing up so late?

“Adam!” He heard the boy call out. He sounded upset, “I need your help.”

Adam tiptoed out of his room and into the kitchen. He didn’t know what to expect- claws, fangs, gleaming cat eyes? But no, it was just Keith. Poor Keith holding his hand and snivelling. 

“I burned my hand.” He whined.

“Oh.” Adam exhaled. “Oh, oh, let me see.” 

The palm of Keith’s hand was red and swelling. Adam quickly turned on the faucet and held his hand underneath the cold water. He jumped and whined but was quickly hushed. “You’ll be alright, it’s not too bad. What were you doing?”

With his free hand, Keith pointed to the kitchen stove. There was an abandoned pot of noodles burning. Adam turned the gas off and returned his attention to Keith. There were tears in his eyes and his cheeks were pink.

Adam did not look at Keith’s fingernails. He wouldn’t think about the claws. Right now Keith was hurt, he didn’t need anyone to poke and prod at him. He was just a kid. Adam got a pack of pain killers out of the cabinet and praised him when he managed to gulp them down. 

“Tell me if a blister starts to form. Don’t pop it, okay? Tomorrow I’ll go out and buy some bandages.” He said. Keith shook his injured hand dry and stared at the red skin. “Go get some sleep.” 

“My noodles…” 

“Are you still hungry?” 

Keith’s stomach growled. 

“I’ll make you a new bowl, this stuff is burned.” 

When Adam brought him the midnight snack to Keith in his room. It was impossible to ignore the mess in there. Mountains of clothes and blankets were dotted across the floor, Adam struggled to navigate around in the dark. When he looked at Keith, he almost tripped.

His eyes were glowing. Like a cat in the darkness. Adam quickly delivered the noodles to him and rushed back into the bright hallway. 

Not human. Keith was not human- that confirmed it. Adam knew that cat’s eyes would glow in the dark because when light entered their eyes, it would hit a special reflective surface behind the retina and bounce back. Humans did not have this reflective surface. 

Whatever Keith was, he wasn’t human.

After the burn, Keith came back out of his shell again. He asked Adam to help him clean his room and started to spend more time with him again. They spoke about Shiro and the Kerberos mission, how amazing it was that he’d been away for seven weeks already. Sometimes they would set up a telescope and look for Pluto. Kerberos itself was too tiny to see but Pluto was close enough to satisfy them.

Adam was staring down the lens when he heard the news. The TV had automatically turned on and a news reporter was speaking. Adam turned his attention to her. He’d been at the Garrison for many years now and this had never happened. Keith didn’t seem to understand that this was highly unusual.

“In an exclusive interview with the Galaxy Garrison, it has been confirmed that the men on the Kerberos mission have died due to pilot error. Samuel Holt, Matthew Holt and Takashi Shirogane are dead.” 

Adam stopped breathing. Shiro… he couldn’t be dead. He promised to stay safe. He promised. He reached out for Keith, needing something to steady himself on, but Keith wasn’t there. He was kneeling on the ground, panting shakily. His claws were digging into the hardwood flooring. His shoulders were shaking. 

“Keith,” Adam whispered. He got down beside him and put an arm around his shoulders. There was… movement underneath his skin. Bone and muscle shifting. “Keith?”

He tilted Keith’s chin up to see his face. His eyes were glowing yellow. The edges of his cheeks were purple. Adam bit back a horrified scream.

_He’s just a kid. Just a kid. He’s scared_ , one side of his mind argued. The other side was screaming for him to leave, call the Garrison for help, _monster, monster, monster!_

Keith was crying. Big, gasping sobs. He pulled his claws out from the floor and held his hands close to his face with a look of horror. 

“What’s happening to me?” He hiccup, “Adam- Adam, what’s happening to me?”

He didn’t know. Keith didn’t know what was happening to him. 

“I don’t know. I’m sorry, I don’t know.” 

He couldn’t tell the Garrison about this. There was no way they would take it lightly. They would experiment on him and cut him open and display him in a museum. Keith’s body wasn’t human but his mind was. He had emotions. He smiled when he was happy and cried when he was sad. The Garrison would only see him as a new science experiment, not a living, breathing child.

So Adam held him. He wrapped his arms around his back and cradled his head against his neck. 

“You’re alright, you’re alright.” He said, speaking loud enough to be heard over the rearranging of bones. He was turning into something, a caterpillar transforming in the cocoon of Adam’s arms. He screamed every time he jolted and hiccuped Shiro’s name over and over again.

Adam didn’t look at Keith’s body, fearing what it had become. He held him with his eyes squeezed shut. He was imaging walking down the aisle, kissing Shiro at the alter, having their first dance, being anywhere but here. But he would never have those experiences. What he had was Keith: screaming and crying while his bones grew and muscles mutated. 


End file.
